SPRUCE RESIN
7000
years ago, the use of spruce resin in folk medicine was proven.
80
different organic compounds constitute spruce resin.
40,000,000
years, the cellular structures of the insect trapped in the spruce resin are preserved.
What is spruce resin and how do we collect it?
Spruce resin is a thick liquid secretion of spruce. It is secreted through specialized structures located both inside the trunk and on its surface. Its chemical composition only began to be determined with the development of spectrometry and chromatography, and knowledge of the mechanisms by which trees secrete it with the development of electron microscopy and its use in botany. It consists of over 80 different organic compounds. The resin of conifers is known today to consist of a volatile part mainly of monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene), which play an important role in the defense against insects and pathogens, and of a non-volatile part consisting of diterpene acids (abietic acid and others). The mechanisms of medicinal effects attributed to spruce resin by tradition derive from the combination of substances in spruce resin. (1)
Spruce resin for Spruce products is collected from trees that have already been damaged by felling, falling stones and game and the trees are not damaged in the process.
📽 Matic Konc about obtaining pitch in the program Podjetno naše on RTV SLO, June 2023
HISTORY OF THE USE OF SPRUCE RESIN
HIPPOCRATES
Hippocrates is one of the most prominent figures in medicine and has the nickname, "the father of scientific medicine". In his works, he described methods of using spruce resin that were successfully used by doctors until the Middle Ages.
FATHER SIMON AŠIČ
Father Simon Ashič, a famous Slovenian priest and herbalist, also wrote in his works about the effects of spruce resin on muscles, body resistance and skin diseases, rashes and wounds.
IBN SIBA
Ibn Sina was a Persian scholar and is one of the greatest thinkers and doctors of the golden age of Islam. He wrote 450 works. He lived between 980 and 1037. In his works, he also wrote about the healing effects of spruce resin.
NATIVE AMERICANS
Native Americans chewed spruce resin when they had a sore throat and other problems in the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. From them, John B. Curtis got the idea and made the first commercial chewing gum from spruce resin in 1848. Native Americans also used preparations from spruce resin to treat cuts and abrasions.
In 5000 B.C., the ancient people of today's Finland enjoyed spruce resin. This was discovered by Finnish archaeologists in 2007. Between 460 and 370 years before Christ, the father of medicine, Hippocrates, described in his works the methods of using spruce resin that were successfully used by doctors until the Middle Ages. (2) The writings of Pliny the Younger, a Roman politician, spokesman and writer, dating from the years 61 to 113 before Christ, also say that the peasant women of ancient Rome do not wear amber necklaces only as ornaments, but as a medicine for increased glands and sore throats and gullet (amber is a polymerized resin). Similarly, the Persian physician Ibn Sina attributed healing properties to spruce resin at the beginning of the 1st millennium (2). Records from the beginning of the 16th century mention how the Prussian duke Albert Brandenburger sent medicine from hardened spruce resin to Martin Luther to treat kidney stones. (2) A preparation made from spruce resin and butter for treating wounds was prepared in Finland. It was used by Native Americans for the same purpose (9), and they also chewed the spruce resin when they had a sore throat and other problems in the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. It was from the Native Americans that John B. Curtis got the idea to develop the first commercial chewing gum from spruce resin in 1848. (4) In the 1970s, the Canadian chemist Henry R. Gray began to produce Grays’ Syrup from the red spruce resin that was very effective against coughing, cold, loss of voice and inflammation of the throat and bronchi.
7000 YEARS OLD SPRUCE RESIN WITH TEETH IMPRINTS
In 2007, Finnish archaeologists found a spruce resin with teeth imprints at an archaeological site. The find dates back to 5000 B.C. Ancient people in the area of today's Finland enjoyed spruce resin for a variety of problems such as sore throat and problems in the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract.
THE FIRST CHEWING GUM FROM SPRUCE RESIN
In 1848, the American businessman John B. Curtis got the idea to make chewing gum from spruce resin, beeswax and added flavors from the Native Americans who chewed spruce resin. He succeeded in producing the first commercial chewing gum and named it "State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum".
USE OF SPRUCE RESIN IN LIVESTOCK
Until 1971, in the Gorenjska region, people produced a preparation from spruce resin, called "stinker". In some Slovenian regions, the pure resin of conifers, mainly fir, larch and spruce, was called "pilpuh". The preparations were used for the treatment of boils, wounds, arthritis and many other problems, and were also extremely successful in treating mastitis in cows.
In the Slovene area, farmers used spruce resin to treat mastitis in cows, to treat wounds and various diseases in livestock and humans. In Gorenjska, the product was called "stinker". It was packed in bottles, and it got its name from its distinctive odour. Until 1971, it was made by the Sodja family from Nemški Rovt in Bohinj. The price of the preparation was comparable to the price of spirits. The children of the Sodja homestead sold it in the villages of Bohinj, and bought shoes with the money they earned. In some Slovenian regions, the pure resin of conifers, mainly fir, larch and spruce, was called "pilpuh". They collected fresh drops of resin and used it to treat boils, wounds, arthritis and many other problems. In Lesce in Gorenjska, there was a very famous herbalist, "Prežle", who placed the black spruce resin on various parts of the body, thus treating pain in the spine and a number of other problems. The Slovenian herbalist, Father Simon Ašič (10), also wrote about the effects of spruce resin on the muscles, physical resistance and skin diseases, rashes and wounds.
In the folk medicine of the modern era, the tradition was preserved and spruce resin has been used for the treatment of abrasions, arthritis, boils, burns, colds, tuberculosis, cough, diarrhea and other digestive disorders, headache, sore throat, rheumatism, tumours and wounds. (8)
SCIENTIFIC FACTS ABOUT SPRUCE RESIN
BACTERIA
The preparation from spruce resin, spruce resin ointment, made in the traditional Finnish way, was tested in 2007 and worked as bacteriostatic agent for all tested Gram-positive bacteria and Proteus vulgaris, a Gram-negative bacteria. A very important finding is that it also has bacteriostatic effects on highly resistant bacteria, such as MRSA and VRE.
FUNGUS
Finnish scientists also tested the anti-fungal effects of spruce resin ointment in 2011. They found that the spruce resin acts strongly against all dermatophytes (fungi that cause most of the fungal skin infections in humans) as well as against Candida Albicans.
WOUNDS AND BEDSORES
In a six-month study conducted in 11 medical institutions, they compared the treatment of bedsores with a traditional preparation from spruce resin, a traditionally prepared spruce resin ointment, and a medically recognized hydrogel. During the study, 92% of the patients were healed in the group treated with the spruce resin ointment, and 44% in the second group.
The efficacy of traditional preparations such as spruce resin ointment from spruce resin and butter used in Finland for the treatment of wounds and ulcers has prompted scientists to conduct a series of studies on this complex natural product:
In a six-month-long study (Sipponen et al., 2007) performed in 11 health facilities, they compared the treatment of bedsores with a traditional preparation from spruce resin, a traditionally prepared spruce resin salve, and a medically recognized hydrogel. During the study, 92% of patients were healed in the group treated with the spruce resin preparation, and 44% in the second group. (5)
The same researchers tested the antimicrobial function with the same spruce resin ointment using routine microbiological methods. The preparation was bacteriostatic against all tested Gram-positive bacteria and against Proteus vulgaris, which is a Gram-negative bacteria. A very important finding is that it has a bacteriostatic effect even on highly resistant bacteria, such as MRSA and VRE. (6)
The Bosnian researchers Kalaba, Đurđevič Milošević and Marjanović Balaban (2009) also investigated the antimicrobial activity of the spruce essential oil. They found that spruce essential oil works on the bacteria Salmonella Enteritidis and Escheriche Coli, Baciullus subtilis and Stphylococucus aureus more efficiently than antibiotics used to treat infections with these bacteria (11).
In 2011, the aforementioned Finnish researchers also checked the effectiveness of spruce resin against fungi. They found that the resin acts strongly against all dermatophytes (fungi that cause the majority of fungal skin infections in humans) as well as against Candida Albicans. (12)
BOSWELIA RESIN
3500
The proven use of boswellia resin in folk medicine goes back years
200
Boswellia resin consists of various organic compounds.
WHAT IS BOSWELLIA RESIN?
Boswellia is a small tree or shrub that grows in dry areas of tropical Africa and India. The tree secretes resin, which is scraped off the devesa with the help of an iron tool, or palm leaves are placed under the trees and the drops of resin are then collected from them.
Boswellia resin has a similar effect to conifer resin. (15) On the other hand, it causes an allergic reaction on the skin much less often than coniferous resin, which is also confirmed by scientific studies (14).
BOSWELIA RESIN THROUGH HISTORY
Boswellia resin as a great asset
Ancient civilizations ranked boswellia resin as one of the greatest treasures, along with gold and ivory. The price was also comparable.(15)
Boswellia resin is invaluable in folk medicine
Boswellia resin was indispensable in the treatment of inflammatory conditions and wounds already in ancient Egypt , in Indian and Chinese medicine , and it was also written about by great doctors and thinkers of ancient civilizations such as Celsus in Rome and Ibn Sina in Persia. (15)
The use of boswellia resin was first documented 3500 years ago
For the first time, the use of boswellia resin for medicinal purposes was documented already in ancient Egypt in 1500 BC on the Ebers papyrus (15).
Boswellia resin is mentioned in many ancient texts. It was valued by many civilizations and was once ranked, along with gold and ivory, among the most valuable for trade and exchange. The first mention of the use of boswellia resin as medicine is on the Ebers Papyrus , an ancient Egyptian text on herbs written around 1500 BC . Early Egyptian myth describes pitch as representing the tears of the Egyptian god Horus (son of Osiris and Isis).
Later texts of Greek and Roman origin describe the trade of boswellia resin to Rome, China and North Africa. For example, Celsus (2nd century) recommended the use of boswellia resin for the treatment of wounds , while Ibn Sina , a Persian physician from the 11th century, recommended the use of boswellia resin for inflammation and infection of the urinary tract. In Kenya, boswellia resin is used for wound dressings and, mixed with sesame oil, is taken to reduce blood loss in the urine due to infection with the parasitic worm schistosomiasis . In India, boswellia resin is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions , including Crohn's disease, arthritic diseases, and asthma , and its anti-inflammatory properties have been the subject of the most scientific research. In China, boswellia resin was an ingredient in many remedies for bruises and infected wounds. (15)
SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS ABOUT BOSWELLIA RESIN
More than 200 organic compounds have already been identified in boswellia resin. The ancient tradition of using boswellia resin for the treatment of inflammatory conditions has been successfully confirmed by many research groups that focused mainly on the action of boswellic acid, but many studies also show that the effectiveness of raw boswellia resin is greater than that of its purified components , which indicates that that the anti-inflammatory action of the resin is the result of the synergistic action of several different substances from the resin, the same as with spruce resin.
Boswellia resin's reputation as an immunomodulator has been supported by numerous studies of both its crude extracts and pure compounds. Clinical research carried out on boswellia resin so far has shown its promise in the treatment of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, osteoarthritis of the knee and collagenous colitis , but its properties are still being actively researched. (15)
